Another Year Older
by productivelyfun
Summary: Lizzie Bennet Diaries: Post Episode 80. A short fanfic in which Lizzie celebrates her birthday whilst at Pemberley Digital, with Gigi and Darcy throwing her a surprise birthday party. I have no doubt this will be cannoned, but hey. It's just something to tie us over until Monday :)
1. Chapter 1

"Do you know what's _more_ unforgiving in this city than the hills?" Lizzie said breathlessly into her phone, "The weather. I'm not even kidding, Jane, it will be a miracle if I can feel my feet by the time I get to Pemberley Digital this morning."

While Jane laughed on the other end of the phone, Lizzie pushed a lock of hair out of her face for the umpteenth time. The wind was fierce this morning and chilled her to the bone, even though she had made sure she was wearing her warmest jacket. She could only imagine what her hair was going to look like by the time she got to work, but she continued walking briskly towards Pemberley Digital. Thankfully, she wasn't too far away.

"Why didn't you take a cab?" Jane asked with amusement in her voice.

"Because despite this ridiculous weather, I actually quite enjoy the walk! Plus I've heard that exercise does wonders for a girls complexion." Lizzie finished, giggling.

"I'll keep that in mind!" said Jane warmly, "So, did you like your birthday presents?"

Lizzie grinned as she walked through the gardens on the outskirts of the grounds of Pemberley Digital.

"Of course I did!" Lizzie replied, "I'm wearing the scarf right now."

Lizzie had come last night to find a package sitting on her doorstep from Jane for her birthday. Jane had written her some beautiful words on the inside of a cute birthday card, which had made Lizzie miss her sister keenly. Accompanying the card and the chunky scarf that was wrapped around her neck was also a gorgeous party dress (in case she decided to go hit the town for her birthday), and a small package of Snickerdoodles.

"I'm glad to hear it," Jane replied, "I miss you."

"I miss you too, Jane." Lizzie replied, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

This was the first birthday where Lizzie would be all by herself. Though she'd had calls, and texts and emails from her parents and friends, Lizzie still felt lonely being out here in the big city where no one knew anything about her – much less, that today was her birthday.

"Well, happy birthday little sister," Jane said finally, "I hope you have a lovely day and try not to work too hard."

Lizzie laughed.

"Thanks Jane. I'll call you tomorrow."

Lizzie hung up the phone, feeling slightly more cheerful than she had when she woke up this morning. She walked inside the Pemberley Digital building, and made her way towards the café for a hot chocolate, in an attempt to thaw out.

She had to hand it to Darcy – the Cafés and food establishments at Pemberley were exceptional. It had become a bit of a habit for Lizzie to stop by this café after she arrived at work each morning, which Lizzie had justified by telling herself that she needed something to warm her up after being exposed to the elements first thing in the morning. Truthfully though, this café made the best hot chocolate Lizzie had ever tasted, and since it _was _her birthday after all, she decided to treat herself to the largest size cup they had. With extra marshmallows.

She warmed her hands around the cup while she took the elevator up to her office, mentally going through all the things she had to do today. There were thankfully no meetings until later in the week, but she still had a truck load of things to do. The elevator doors slid open silently, and she made her way around the corner, and down the hallway until she arrived at her office.

Only it didn't _look_ like her office anymore. Someone (Lizzie had a fairly good idea of who) had come in on Friday after she had left and went crazy with decorations. There was a colourful banner behind her desk that said _HAPPY BIRTHDAY _on it, along with some streamers, a red party hat and a small bunch of flowers. Lizzie didn't really want anyone to know that it was her birthday, but she had to admit that these decorations were amazing. They were artistic – evidently made by someone here at Pemberley Digital, and they were pleasantly understated.

As Lizzie put her purse and jacket down, she noticed a helium balloon lingering above her desk, with a rolled up piece of paper hanging from some blue string. Lizzie placed her hot chocolate down on the desk, and reached for the balloon – carefully extracting the note from the ribbon.

_Dear Lizzie,  
Firstly, happy birthday! I hope you like the decorations, and that it was a pleasant surprise to come to work to.  
Secondly, William and I would like to invite you over to have dinner at our house this evening – a special celebration for your birthday!  
Please let me know as soon as you can.  
Gigi.  
PS. Those flowers are __not__ from me._

Lizzie grinned, and rolled up the slip of paper before pulling out her phone and quickly typing a text message.

_Nice job on the banner – I loved it._

Not even a minute later, she got a reply.

**_I'm glad you liked it! Did you get the note?  
_**_I did. Very clever.  
_**_So will you come tonight?  
_**_That depends. Does your brother know about this?  
__**Of course! He helped me with the banner actually. And like I said, those flowers weren't from me!  
**__Well, if he knows, and he's OK with me crashing your house … then yes. I'll come for dinner.  
_**_Squee! Can't wait. Wear something pretty! x_**

Wear something pretty? Lizzie sipped at her chocolate again, deep in thought about what kind of plan Gigi was concocting this time. There was a good chance that there would be some awkwardness between her and Darcy tonight regardless of whatever Gigi had planned, but then again, it was better to celebrate her birthday with Gigi and Darcy rather than sit at home by herself.

There was a soft knock at her door, and she looked up to see Darcy standing in the door frame.

"Darcy, Hi," she said casually, trying to ignore the pounding in her chest. That seemed to be happening more and more frequently these days when he randomly showed up at her office.

"Lizzie," he replied by way of a greeting, "I trust the decorations are to your liking?"

Lizzie smiled as she looked at the banner behind her.

"They're perfect, thank you."

Darcy shrugged; a half smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Gigi's idea, of course. I merely supervised to make sure she didn't go overboard."

"A job well done then," Lizzie replied, jokingly.

Darcy chuckled.

"Well," he replied, "I won't impose on you any further. I just wanted to stop by and wish you a happy birthday,"

"Thank you," Lizzie replied shyly.

"Will Gigi and I be seeing you tonight?" he asked hesitantly, noticing that she had read Gigi's letter.

Lizzie smiled, and nodded.

"Yes. Thank you for the invitation," she replied, "And thank you for the flowers. You two really didn't have to go to all this effort for me."

He blushed slightly, and looked away before speaking.

"I'm glad you are pleased with everything," he said, "Well then. We will see you this evening. I'll have a car sent for you just before seven."

"I appreciate that. Thank you."

Darcy nodded once, and smiled quickly before walking back towards his office. Lizzie stared down at the flowers next to her computer, before leaning back in her chair and sipping on her hot chocolate again.

_Well_, thought Lizzie with some amusement, _at least I'll have something to tell Jane about tomorrow_ ...


	2. Chapter 2

Lizzie stood out the front of Darcy's house and rapped her knuckles loudly against the large wooden door. While she waited for someone to answer it, she smoothed down the fabric of her dress.

She had decided to heed Gigi's warning about wearing something nice, and had put on the dress that Jane had sent her for her birthday. It was a simple, yet elegant dress. The cream coloured bodice wrapped elegantly around her body, until it met a row of intricate beading at her waist, before fanning out into a beautiful black A-line skirt. The tulle petticoats were something new for Lizzie, but she liked the way it balanced out the bodice. She had carefully applied her make up, pinned up her hair and slipped on some black heels and jewelry, until she was convinced that she was ready for whatever lay behind the door at Darcy's house.

Gigi pulled open the door, and a wide grin broke out on her face. Upon seeing Gigi's dress, Lizzie was thankful she had invested more time than usual on her outfit this evening.

"Oh my God, Lizzie! You look amazing."

"Likewise," Lizzie replied.

Gigi had on a gorgeous blue cocktail dress that bought out the colour of her eyes and accentuated her lean, athletic figure. She gave Lizzie a big hug before practically dragging her inside in her excitement. Lizzie had to hand it to Gigi – she was the most vivacious person Lizzie had ever had the pleasure of meeting, and Lizzie could feel a soft spot on her heart for the young girl.

Gigi took Lizzie's coat, and quickly hung it up before motioning for Lizzie to hurry up. Lizzie followed Gigi as she led her down one of the hallways inside Darcy's house, in the complete opposite direction to where she'd been led on previous occasions. Lizzie felt her breath quicken in anxiety.

"We're eating in the dining hall tonight," Gigi informed her after seeing the slightly stressed expression on Lizzie's face, "Because it's a special occasion, of course!"

"Isn't the dining hall a little bit big for three people?" Lizzie asked nervously.

She had a mental image of all of them sitting at a ridiculously long table; Darcy and Gigi at opposite ends, and with herself plonked in the middle, with minimal talking and a lot of awkward pauses. Lizzie shuddered and hoped with every inch of her that tonight wasn't going to be as uncomfortable as that picture in her head was. Once they reached the closed double doors, Gigi looked back at Lizzie quickly and smiled mischievously, before throwing open the doors of the dining hall.

Lizzie was met with a loud chorus of "Happy birthday Lizzie!" as she and Gigi stepped into the room. Lizzie's eyes widened in surprise, and she put her hands on her cheeks, feeling them burn under her fingertips.

"_Oh. My. God." _She managed to utter. Beside her, Gigi was grinning and patting Lizzie's arm in reassurance.

Lizzie's eyes scanned the faces that stood before her, and her heart soared when she saw that every face in the room was familiar to her. There was Bing, Fitz, his boyfriend, Caroline (unfortunately), some of her favourite people from work, and also …

"Charlotte!"

She flew across the room and embraced her best friend in a tight hug, laughing like a child. Charlotte grinned and hugged her back even tighter.

"I had no idea …" Lizzie began

"That was kind of the point," Charlotte replied jokingly.

Lizzie was pulled out of a giggling Charlotte's arms, and straight into another embrace; this time by Fitz who planted a large kiss on her cheek.

"Happy birthday, Lizzie B! I must say, you're looking fine tonight, girl!"

She laughed and punched his arm playfully, relieved that she did, in fact, look the part. Lizzie spent the next few minutes greeting everyone, and soon her cheeks were aching from smiling so much. It was genuine smiling though, and she couldn't have been happier. And to think she thought she'd be spending her birthday alone!

Lizzie's eyes fell on Darcy, who was walking towards her with a glass of champagne held in his hands. Her heart skipped a beat and she felt her face flush as she smiled at him.

"For you," he replied, passing her a glass. She noticed his hands were shaking slightly.

"Oh, fantastic," she said. She accepted the glass gratefully and took a large sip before speaking again. "This is seriously amazing Darcy. I can't believe you and Gigi planned all of this, and even got Charlotte here. I don't know how to thank you."

He shrugged and focused on the champagne glass that was clutched in his hands.

"Seeing you genuinely happy is thanks enough."

Lizzie blushed and tried really hard not to notice how amazing Darcy looked tonight. He was dressed more casually than he would be at the office, with black pants and a dark coloured button up shirt, which he had rolled the sleeves up on and left untucked, with the first few undone.

Despite the number of people in his dining hall, he seemed relaxed, and was making an effort to speak to other people besides Bing, Fitz and Caroline. Lizzie was entertained by watching Caroline trying to hang off Darcy's arm, before he politely removed it and proceeding to move as far away from her as he could. This happened on more than one occasion, and together Lizzie and Charlotte laughed about it together before agreeing that this event _definitely _had to portrayed through costume theatre in Lizzie's next video.

They all moved over to the dinner table, where Lizzie sat next to Darcy and opposite Charlotte. Her heart fluttered as he held out the chair for her, before gracefully sitting down himself. Gigi, who was seated on the other side of the table next to Charlotte, winked at her before raising her glass.

"A toast to Lizzie," her voice rang out, "We hope you're not too mad at us for planning this surprise. But we wanted your birthday to be special, and we hope that you have fun this evening. Happy birthday Lizzie!"

Another chorus of happy birthday rang out across the table, before they clinked glasses and settled themselves in for what was one of the best meals Lizzie had ever had in her life.

It was hard for Lizzie to decide what was the best course. They had a delicious hearty soup as an entrée followed by roast beef, which was cooked perfectly and served with vegetables and a red white jus. For desert, Lizzie had the most amazing profiteroles, which was served with Belgian chocolate sauce and fresh cream. Since Lizzie was an avid chocolate fan, she was thinking that the profiteroles were definitely the winning course. Either way, she couldn't fault Darcy's cook. Everything was simply delicious.

She spoke easily with Darcy throughout the evening, and was rewarded with genuine smiles from him, and even the occasional joke. He made sure that Lizzie was enjoying herself, and that she always had a full glass of champagne before her.

Lizzie was incredibly grateful for this, as the champagne helped to calm her nerves. These days, just sitting next to Darcy put her out of sorts, which was completely unlike her. It was almost as though she … _liked _Darcy. How weird would that be? There was simply no way that he could still love her after she had hurled just about every insult under the sun towards him. She was sure he was just being polite. But even that seemed un-Darcy-like, given their previous interactions.

At another time, Lizzie decided, she would sit down and analyze the way he bantered playfully with her, or the way his shoulder brushed against hers when he leaned in to speak to her. Most of all, she would analyze the expression on his face the moment she walked into the dining hall this evening.

His eyes had lit up, and he had smiled at her warmly. There had been a mix of different emotions that had played across his face – only a few of which Lizzie could identify. There was happiness and sincerity mixed in with a touch of nervousness and uncertainty. All of these combined had made Lizzie's heart race a hundred miles an hour and she found it endearing that he was still slightly nervous around her.

_Endearing?_ Wow. Lizzie shook herself out of her thoughts and took another large sip of champagne. Now was probably not the best time to be thinking about these things, especially when the man in question was barely inches away from her, and especially when Charlotte was sitting across from her. Having grown up with Lizzie, Charlotte could practically read every single thing that was going through Lizzie's mind. If Charlotte caught wind of what was going on inside Lizzie's head, there'd be hell to pay - No doubt through costume theatre too.

She looked over at Charlotte, who thankfully was too caught up in a conversation with Gigi to notice the dazed and dreamy expression on her best friend's face.

Lizzie quickly stole a look at Darcy, who was talking animatedly to Bing, and decided that her analysis of him could wait. In the meantime, she sat back and vowed to enjoy the rest of this amazing party he had planned out just for her. He really wasn't such a bad person, Lizzie decided. Not even in the slightest.

"More champagne, birthday girl?" he asked. His voice was warm, and a little half smile played on his lips. As he looked at her, it struck Lizzie that she really **did** have feelings for Darcy - These feelings had just come on so gradually that she didn't realize until just now. The way his eyes focused on her did absolutely nothing to contradict this sudden realization either. If anything, it rather confirmed her feelings.

Realizing that Darcy was still waiting for an answer, she looked at her empty champagne glass and nodded her head quickly, trying her best to appear calm and in control of her thoughts.

"Sure." She replied, "And just keep them coming all night, thanks._"_


	3. Chapter 3

At long last, Lizzie's birthday celebration came to an end. She was buzzing from seeing all her friends again, the champagne she had consumed, and from just how amazing her birthday had turned out to be.

Lizzie thanked everyone again as they left, still in mild disbelief that all of these people had turned up just for her! She honestly though she was going to slip under the radar while she was her, but her co-workers from Pemberley Digital had gushed over how lovely, and entertaining Lizzie was – all of them saying that would miss her once she returned home. Lizzie didn't really want to think about that. She knew she'd have to go home eventually, but for now she just wanted to pretend that _this_ was her life – free of her mother nagging her, or Lydia stealing her clothes, and without a thesis looming over her head. But all good things have endings, and tonight was no exception.

She hugged Charlotte again fiercely and said goodbye, as Charlotte would be returning to Collins & Collins first thing in the morning. Lizzie still couldn't believe she was here – Charlotte had accidentally let it slip that Darcy had paid for her to come. Even though Charlotte had enough money to afford flights, Darcy had insisted on paying, since it was his idea to invite her.

"Why would he do that?" Lizzie asked in disbelief.

"Can you really not think of a reason Lizzie?" she asked, with an amused expression on her face. "For an intelligent girl, sometimes you can be so clueless."

She had chuckled, and hugged her best friend tightly, before wishing her best friend happy birthday again, and stepping into a cab.

Bing and Caroline were the last to leave, making their way to their car just after Charlotte's departure. While Bing shook Darcy's hand, and thanked him for a wonderful evening, Caroline stormed past without saying farewell to anyone, and sat in the car sulking. Bing rolled his eyes at his sister's behavior, before grinning, hugging Gigi and getting into the driver's seat. Gigi waved at Bing and Caroline as their car drove slowly down the pebbled driveway, watching them drive away until their taillights disappeared off in the distance.

Gigi, Darcy and Lizzie made their way back inside, shivering slightly from the cold, and sat on the couches in the living room. Gigi took the recliner, leaving Lizzie and Darcy to share the small two-seater.

"Ergh, I'm so full! It's a wonder I didn't explode from all that food!" Gigi exclaimed.

"The food was amazing," Lizzie agreed.

"Not that Caroline would know. She was far too busy sulking to even eat dessert," Gigi said laughing, "That girl's priorities are all wrong. Oh well. At least I got some extra profiteroles out of her tantrum."

Lizzie laughed and Darcy blushed slightly. He knew very well that he was the reason for Caroline's behavior this evening, and hoped that her actions hadn't ruined Lizzie's birthday.

"So," Gigi asked, "Aside from Caroline's little performance, did you have a good time?"

"Do you really need to ask that question?" Lizzie replied, "Seriously though, thank you. I had such an amazing time, and it was really nice to be able to celebrate with all my friends. Especially Charlotte."

As she said this, she gently touched Darcy's arm. His eyes softened as he smiled back at her.

"I'm glad she could make it," he replied softly.

"Well," Gigi said with a scheming glint in her eyes, "I should get to bed. I wouldn't want the boss to get angry at me for being late to work in the morning."

Darcy fixed his eyes on Gigi and gave her a pained, yet amused look. Gigi grinned at him, before coming over and enveloping her brother in a hug. He chuckled and patted her on the back, while Gigi whispered something in his ear. He nodded in response.

Gigi then turned and gave Lizzie a hug and wished her happy birthday again, before disappearing and leaving Lizzie and Darcy alone.

"Your sister has got these little moments all planned out, hasn't she?" Lizzie asked, her cheeks flushing.

"Evidently," he replied, "I feel like I should be used to it by now. Or at least, no longer surprised when they occur."

Lizzie laughed, and nodded her head in agreement.

"You look quite lovely tonight, by the way," he said quietly.

If Lizzie hadn't have been paying attention, she would have missed what he had said completely. He glanced at her quickly before looking away and fidgeting with his hands.

"Thank you," she replied; completely caught off guard.

He smiled at her, before standing up, and retrieving two, neatly wrapped parcels from the table in the corner. He handed them over to Lizzie before sitting back down next to her – this time, slightly more relaxed.

"These are from Gigi and I," he said.

"On top of everything else today?" she said in disbelief, "I assure you this party was more than enough. You didn't have to get me anything."

Darcy shrugged.

"I wanted to. You should open them."

Lizzie looked at him briefly, before reluctantly agreeing.

"If you insist," she replied. She decided against trying to get out of opening them in front of him, lest it offend him. Lizzie didn't want to ruin this evening by being difficult, even though she hated opening presents in front of other people.

She carefully pulled at the paper of the larger parcel, which was from Gigi, which contained three classic novels she had told Gigi about when they were having lunch the other day. Lizzie was thrilled that Gigi had remembered the names of all of the books, and she had even gotten Lizzie the earliest edition of each that she could find.

While Lizzie was opening Gigi's gift, Darcy had poured the last of the champagne into two glasses, placing one of them on the table before Lizzie. She gratefully took a sip, again to calm her nerves, before turning her attention to the smaller parcel, which was from Darcy. Lizzie blushed furiously as she pulled the tape delicately away from the paper. Darcy sat next to her, sipping champagne and watching her closely.

Inside was a small, rectangular box. She opened it nervously, and inside found the most exquisite necklace she had ever seen in her life. Made of white gold, it featured an intricate filigree patterned pendant, which was delicately shaped into that of a teardrop. Lizzie admired the necklace, running her fingers over it gently. She didn't know what to say – it was too much, yet so perfect coming from him.

She looked at Darcy, still in surprise before stammering her thanks.

"This is really beautiful," she said, searching desperately for words. "Thank you, William."

Upon hearing Lizzie address him by his proper name, Darcy's eyes met hers, and he smiled at her genuinely. He reached over and extracted the pendant from the box, undid the clasp and held it out towards her. Lizzie turned around so her back faced Darcy, and he gently looped the pendant around her neck, fastening the clasp at the back. His fingers didn't linger, and Lizzie couldn't help but wish that they had.

Lizzie gently touched the pendant against her chest before taking a deep breath and turning around to face him again.

"I hoped that you would like it," he said huskily, blushing slightly.

Lizzie was completely overwhelmed by everything that he and Gigi had planned for her this evening, and couldn't find the words to express her gratitude and the thoughts running through her head.

So instead, she leaned in and quickly kissed Darcy on the cheek. He flinched slightly and Lizzie pulled back, with a worried look on her face.

"I'm sorry, I –" she began quickly.

"Lizzie," Darcy replied, chuckling softly, "It's Ok. You don't have to apologise. I just … Well, you definitely know how to surprise someone."

He took her face gently in his hands, leaned in slowly and kissed her passionately on the lips. Lizzie's head was spinning, trying to comprehend everything that had happened this evening, and also trying to register the fact that she was kissing someone who she used to consider a mortal enemy.

But if this was the way that Darcy kissed, then why on earth would she keep pretending she didn't feel something for him? It had been niggling at the back of her mind for weeks now, and with sudden clarity she could see that she didn't just _like_ him - She had fallen hopelessly and completely in love with William Darcy.

Darcy pulled away slowly from her; his eyes searching her face, trying to identify the expression written upon it. Lizzie smiled up at him, as he brushed away a strand of hair that had escaped from of the bobby pins.

"I'm so sorry for all the misery I caused you when we first met." She said quietly. He gently picked up her hand and laced his fingers through hers.

"I really don't care about that, Lizzie," he replied, while shaking his head gently, "Everything that has ever happened between you and I had led up to this moment. Believe it or not, I wouldn't change a single thing."

Lizzie looked at him in disbelief.

"But what about –" she began, but Darcy smiled and shook his head.

"Not even that. I could never hate you, Lizzie Bennet. All I could do was hate myself. If anything, I loved you more, which I didn't think was possible. But I've been wrong before, haven't I?"

Again, Lizzie found herself at a loss for words. She was amazed at this confession from Darcy, and couldn't believe how wrongly she had judged him.

"The only thing that matters," he continued, "is whether or not your feelings have changed towards me. Which, I feel they might have, but like I said – I've been wrong before. You should just know that my feelings for you remain unchanged. I am still very much in love with you, Lizzie Bennet."

She beamed a smile at Darcy, before pulling him towards her and kissing him again. Lizzie felt his arms wrap around her, as he responded to her kiss. Somehow, they seemed to understand each other more on this level than any other type. She tangled her fingers in his hair and felt him smile against her lips.

"I'm going to take that as a yes," he murmured.

"Of course they have, you idiot," she laughed, "Why else would I keep kissing you?"

She smiled at him before resting her head on his shoulder, and closing her eyes. Darcy wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him. They sat like that for a while, and Lizzie kept touching the pendant on her chest, thinking of everything that had happened tonight.

Lizzie smiled at Darcy, who bent down and kissed her gently on her forehead. There was no doubt about it - Lizzie was going to have **_a lot_** to tell Jane in the morning!


End file.
